Three years after releasing the 3rd installment of the Jazz Bizniz series, Counterpoint returns again with "Jazz Bizniz 4". This new release does an outstanding job of capturing the essence of the raw soul-jazz and afro/Latin recordings that went largely ignored yet still sound fresh and new today. It’s mind boggling how these recordings could have remained on the shelf if not for the good folks at Counterpoint to give them a second life. Aside from the rare old grooves, there are some new grooves that will whet your appetite. There are several quality tracks worth mentioning but prime cuts like "Glass" by Jeff Resnick, a soulful jazz fusion piece reminiscent of the Mizell recordings of the late seventies. “Schizophrenia” is a funky hip-hop flavored jazz track performed by Cirius B. It’s one of the newer cuts featured here and a group you should keep an eye on. Another musician worth checking out is former Fela Kuti percussionist Najite Olokun Prophecy. His contribution here is the mid-tempo afro-beat gem “Honesty”. Other highlights include “A dream without you”, a funky mid-tempo soul groover sung by Lillian Alexander. “Jazz Bizniz 4” has a little something for everyone. If you’re familiar with the previous releases then you’ll certainly enjoy this one. This is a high quality compilation that shouldn’t be missed.

Reg Dancy

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Liquid Spirits are an 8-piece band, consisting of drums, guitar, bass, keys and four vocalists, and, under the stewardship of producers Manuel Hugas and Wilboud Burkens, they make pure, unadulterated Soul music of the highest order. There is something of Kindred The Family Soul in their sound, as well as a touch of Acid Jazz along the lines of The Brand New Heavies, but there are no scratches, no samples, no drum machines; just real people singing and playing instruments. Even when Phonte, of Little Brother fame, pops up on the wonderful, Tribe-like ‘If You Don’t Love Me’, the grooves are understated and organic, but always, always funky. Elsewhere, Leon Ware adds to the feeling of overall authenticity with a performance truly befitting a legendary vocal veteran of his calibre. The album’s not quite perfect, for it displays a tendency to occasionally stray into syrupy, lounge territory, but to complain here would be to split hairs. Any Soul fan worth their salt will definitely want to give this a whirl and I’m guessing that most will be extremely pleased that they did.

Tom Breslin

From Ipanema Beach, with a sound that rocks and funks its way through core Brazilian rhythms, with a touch of psychedelic thrown in too but really there’s so much going on here it’s hard to define (in a good way). They are a seven piece band that distance themselves well away from all stereotypical notions of Brazilian music and have made a CD that’s distinctly their own sound, I’ll just leave you to ponder what that sound actually is because there’s such a mixture from track to track that you often wonder if it’s a different CD. Well worth checking out.

Graham Radley

Superb release from Bonga with a nice balance of moods and rhythms which range from where his native Angolan semba shows influences of morna from the Cape Verde to  changing gear so that soukous guides us to the dance floor. Now in his 60’s but this is a real return to earlier form. Recommended.

Graham Radley

Excellent compilation of material covering 1965 to 1977. The band had a core line up of the amazing Jerry Malekani on guitar, Freddie Nkounkou and Mbilia Casino on vocals plus in the earlier days Panda Gracia on bass and then, once they moved onto the French Caribbean, Jean Serge Essous on sax. The music was groundbreaking as they mixed many styles including rumba and soukous and then calypso and reggae, this of course was glorious music for the dance floor and this collection comes highly recommended.

Graham Radley

Tracks from Cote d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, South Africa, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau. Ba Cissoko with Tiken Jah Fakoly give us the sweet melodic side of reggae with ‘On Veut Se Marier’ while Majek Fashek’s ‘Man Of Sorrow’ has a real feel of Marley. Very good.

Graham Radley

Coba Coba is an Afro-Peruvian expression akin to ‘Go for it!’ and Novalima do that in all the best ways. The band  have at their roots a bedrock of Afro-Peruvian rhythms and melodies which they freely envelop with a mix that incorporates Latin, dub and electronica. Special guests include New Zealand nu-jazz keyboardist Mark de Clive-Lowe, Cuban hip-hop group Obsesión while producer Toni Economides (Nitin Sawhney and Bugz In The Attic) brings it all together with just the right feel of soulful roots meets edgy grooves. Have a listen to tracks like ‘Coba Guarango’ and be prepared to be moved. Top stuff.

Graham Radley

Follow up to ‘3 to get ready’ from Chris Bowden, Neil Bullock and Ben Markland which opens with a fine take on Miles Davis’s ‘Freddie The Freeloader’. Further jazz staples include Antonio Carlos Jobim’s ‘Chega de Saudade and Wayne Shorter’s ‘Isotope as well as a bonus DVD track of Billy Cobham’s ‘Red Baron’Great straight ahead playing and whilst it’s not on the wild side the quality glows through and embraces you.

Graham Radley

This is a vocal and instrumental suite by John McCusker, performed by a brilliant line up of Britain’s finest musicians. Originally commissioned by the PRS Foundation, the Scottish Arts Council and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Under One Sky explores the many different traditions, genres and influences at work across the UK folk scene and incorporates them into 7 pieces of music. McCusker’s hand-picked ensemble includes Graham Coxon , Roddy Woomble, Julie Fowlis,  John Tams and Jim Causley also feature among the singers while the instrumentalists include Iain MacDonald, Andy Cutting Ian Carr and Emma Reid. Evocative music which  shines especially on ‘S Tusa Thilleas’ sung by Julie Fowlis and ‘Long Time Past/Lavender Hill’ with lead from Roddy Womble. Excellent.

Graham Radley

What’s great about Jimi Tenor is that he refuses to be tied down to any particular style of music. For over twenty years he has dabbled in experimental rock, rare funk and African rhythms. It does seem however that he has found a comfort zone exploring variations of Afro-funk. His previous release, “Joystone” was a wonderful blend of West African, jazz and latin rhythms. With “4th Dimension”, Jimi and Kabu Kabu continue where they left off and embark on a spirited journey that will keep your body moving long after the disc has finished. Standout tracks include “Mystery Spot” an energetic afro-beat inspired tune that sets the stage for what’s in store here. “Mogadishu Ave” is another powerful track full of blistering horns and searing guitars. “Floating Orange” is high octane funk mixed with spiritual jazz overtones. This track is intense and worthy of repeated listening. In fact, I assure you will find it difficult to bypass any track on this disc. If you thought “Joystone” was hot then wait until you hear “4th Dimension”. This is simply a fabulous record and another triumph for Jimi Tenor. I urge you not to miss it.

Reg Dancy

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